Invalids who are confined to walkers often are limited to a single level of a dwelling and require help to go up and down stairs, both inside and outside of the home. This requires continual care and often necessitates a full-time nurse or similar person to take care of the invalid. Not being able to use stairs requires aid for such simple tasks as going to the bathroom, going to sleep and other routine tasks that non-invalids do without thinking. The inability to move from one level to another confines the invalid to a single level and requires him to live an isolated life, often with disturbing mental and emotional effects. Invalids can be problems to their loved ones or friends when they have to go to the doctor, dentist or any other outside activity since they need the assistance of someone to get them to these various different places. In some cases, they must call an ambulance to take them which runs into considerable expense. Often, these invalids are poor people and the state assistance programs limits the number of trips they will pay for, thus creating a considerable hardship.
One multi-purpose stair walker on the market today is made by Edco Corporation; however, this walker causes a real sense of insecurity when used to go up and down the stairs since it is required that the walker be tipped either forward or backward while the invalid climbs the stairs. When using it to go up stairs, it is trailed in the back of the invalid and the invalid must hold tightly onto the hand grips that are extended out away from the walker. This puts the invalid in an uncomfortable position with the walker at an approximate 45.degree. angle. The weight of the patient is not equally divided on the four legs of the walker causing the real feeling of insecurity and that the invalid is uncomfortably positioned with respect to the walker. The same condition exists with the walker going down the stairs. The walker is still in the uncomfortable 45.degree. position out in front of the invalid.
Other prior art walkers are shown in the patent to Skoog No. 3,716,067 which relates to a foldable, three-legged invalid support, the patent to Thomas No. 4,135,535 which is directed to an invalid walker including an extra bracing between the front and rear legs for additional strength, the patent to Schneider No. 3,690,652 showing a foldable invalid walker which is convertible from a fixed to a swingable walker, the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,677 directed to an invalid walker having a self-levelling feature, and the Brailey U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,374 relating to a walker including caster support legs which are moved upwardly allowing the associated legs to contact the floor when weight is put on it by the invalid.
Most of the prior art walkers have legs which are adjustable to vary the height of the walker to the size of the user, as particularly shown in the patents to Schneider, Thomas and Brailey; however, this adjustment does not permit the invalid to use the walker to go between different levels.
Standard commercially available walkers also have a shortcoming when used for walking on level floors. With a standard walker, an invalid lifts and moves the walker forward and pulls himself into it to move forward. When he does this, especially if the invalid is overweight, as he pulls himself forward, there is a tendency to hit the upper support. This not only is annoying, but causes the walker to tilt forward creating instability.